This invention relates to a mailer--more particularly, a mailing piece produced in continuous, connected but separable fashion so as to be computer printed.
Since the 1960's, mailers have become increasingly used--as exemplified by the construction of U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,799. However, these have suffered from drawbacks--an important one being damage in the mail. For example, mailer forms with a dimension over 41/4" in height (web direction) suffer damage in handling in the mail. Although mailers 51/2" in height are very popular in business systems, they are about the maximum height that does not suffer excessive damage. Mailers 6" in height, the maximum size allowed without a postage penalty charge, suffer such more damage than do 51/2" mailers. Most damage results when the postal carrier bundles his letters. Envelopes higher than 41/8", the height of the popular No. 10 conventional envelope, stick up above the pile and are bent over and torn by the rubber bands used to bundle the mail. Envelopes much higher than 41/4" such as 81/2" and 11" are handled separately by the carrier and avoid much of this kind of damage.
However, envelopes over 6" in height suffer from the postal penalty charge and also from a long standing dissatisfaction by business users. Most business people prefer to send and receive mail that is near the No. 10 envelope size (41/8".times.91/2").
According to the invention, the problem of damage in the mails is overcome by folding the mailer to a size where bending, tearing, etc. do not occur.
Although envelopes made of folded sheets are very old, the only relevant prior art to mailers appears to be U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,565 which discloses quite a number of folded mailer embodiments. Notwithstanding the long available teaching of computer printing of continuous envelope assemblies there is no teaching in the '565 patent of any construction which could be so used. For example, there is no teaching that the top edges of the interior plies be sealed to the envelope-forming ply to preclude hang-up in the printer.
According to the invention, a mailer is provided wherein the tops of interior plies are all connected to the envelope-forming ply to make possible reliable computer printing of a connected series of such mailers. The interior plies are generally coextensive with the envelope forming ply so as to provide the desired maximum of space for information. Shorting of the message ply (as in '565) is not a helpful approach to the problem because then there is no need for the larger envelope.
Further, according to the invention, the reproducing means, carbon paper, carbon spots, encapsulated ink, etc., are arranged relative to the envelope-forming ply that legible printing can only occur through the envelope forming ply--thereby eliminating the need for the windows of the '565 embodiments and making possible the use of interior plies that are generally as large as the envelope-forming ply. Utilizing the smaller interior plies frustrates the objective of the invention--to provide full information plies that go through the mail in a smaller assembly. In the '565 constructions, the window not only required the shorter interior plies but also printing on the uppermost of these plies, rather than on the envelope-forming ply.
An important feature of the invention is the provision of a line of potential folding which extends transversely of the continuous form, i.e., perpendicular to the control margins. This is in studied contrast to the '565 patent which has only one showing out of the plurality of embodiments wherein the fold line extends across the form. Through the use of such a line of potential folding, the invention provides a compact mailer that avoids the drawbacks of prior mailers in post office handling.
In the preferred constructions, the inventive mailer has a tear-off strip along the top to simultaneously open the envelope and release the connection of the interior plies from the envelope forming ply.